Reproductive and mate choice strategies in the hermaphroditic flatworm Echinostoma caproni

Due to the important role that mating systems play in the evolution of spec ies, we investigate the selfing rate and mate choice in the simultaneous he rmaphroditic parasite Echinostoma caproni (Trematoda). The echinostomes wer e maintained in two situations in mice: (1) double infections where the two individuals do or do not belong to the same geographic area isolate, and ( 2) triple infections where two of the three individuals originate from the same isolate and the third one originates from a different isolate. This ex perimental design permits analysis of intra- and interisolate selfing rates and of mate preference. We predict, in the first experiment, no difference between intra- and interisolate selfing rates, In the second experiment we expect a preferential outcrossing between individuals originating from the same isolate in order to avoid hybrid breakdown. The results obtained corr oborate our predictions and emphasize the important and synergistic roles o f selfing, inbreeding depression, and hybrid breakdown in the evolution of echinostome reproductive strategies.